"I'll never stop dreaming that one day we can be a real family, together, all of us laughing and talking, loving and understanding, not looking at the past but only to the future."-LaToya Jackson

Sabo was happy and even though he knew he was going to be going home soon he felt content here being with these people. Luffy was smiling more now which greatly relieved Sabo since the sad Luffy really wasn't the brother he had come to know and love.

Luffy was walking along the ledge of the railing while Usopp was fishing for their lunch.

"Luffy you're going to fall in." Nami called to him from the upper deck a pen behind her ear and her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail.

"No I won't I'm being carefullll-." Luffy began to say as he tripped over his own foot and slipped off the deck.

"Told you." Nami said but didn't move to help her captain which confused Sabo, didn't she care if he fell in or not? Sabo was about to yell at her to help but a green blur had jumped down from the astronomy tower like it was nothing before jumping into the water after Luffy.

"Thanks Zoro!" Luffy said once the swordsman had helped get all of the water out of Luffy's lungs.

"Honestly." He said but Sabo could hear no anger in his voice but he saw it in the man's face when Luffy got back up and jumped on the railing once more.

"Luffy get the heck off of that damned railing!" He shouted grabbing the rubber boy by the ear and dragging him away from that part of the ship all together.

"Nap time." He told Luffy pushing him down to the grass and while Luffy pouted he didn't disobey as he began to stretch himself out on the grass and put his hat over his eyes.

"What just happened?" Sabo asked Usopp who was packing up his fishing equipment.

"Ah Zoro is rather protective of Luffy-I mean we all are protective of him but Zoro is the vice-captain so it's a whole other level of protection." Usopp said to Sabo who just nodded his head.

"But how was he able to just get Luffy to nap like that!?" Sabo was able to get Luffy to do most things but not ever that quickly.

"They have a weird bond, one that even we can't quite explain." Usopp said shrugging his shoulders

"It's better that way." Ace said coming up beside Sabo smiling at the now snoring Luffy.

"You trust him?" Sabo asked Ace quietly looking at the sleeping pair and Ace nodded.

"Yeah I trust him with my treasure." He turned his eyes to Luffy and smiled. If Ace could trust them then he might as well do the same.

"Sabo can I see you for a moment?" Nami called but it sounded more like she was demanding him to listen.

"Uhh, sure." He said running up the stairs to see what she wanted.

"I need you to come with me." She said simply but Sabo wasn't moving.

"I'm not taking a bath with you." He said and Nami turned to look at him a sly smile on her face.

"Oh, what a naughty boy." Sabo couldn't stop the blush on his face at her words as she laughed at him.

"I need your help on something that's all." She turned away from them and motioned for Sabo to follow her to where she drew her maps.

"You went and explored the island with Luffy; do you remember much of it?" She asked him taking a seat and rolling out chart paper.

"Yeah the island isn't as big as it looks." Sabo said pulling a chair up beside her and looking at the blank map before realization came to him.

"You're a navigator!" He exclaimed looking around the room and seeing all of the rolled up maps in their own special place.

"Of course I am! I'm the greatest Navigator you'll ever find on these seas." She said winking at him and he stared at her in awe because she didn't sound like she was bragging at all.

"How did you end up here then?" He asked her since he could tell that she wasn't the only one good at their positions on this ship.

"He saved me." She said looking out the window and smiling.

"How'd he do that?" Sabo wanted to know and she turned her eyes to look at him now.

"He rescued me when I didn't want him to. He freed my village even though I told him to leave countless of times and he called me his Nakama when I needed him to. Luffy is like a brother to me and for that I will guide him where ever he asks me to go." Sabo couldn't look away he was stunned by the amount these people truly loved Luffy. They didn't follow him because he was their captain; they follow him because he was their friend and family.

"I think I understand now." He said to her and she raised a brow at him. "Ever since we got here I've felt so happy, so relax and welcomed." He said to her and she laughed softly at him.

"Luffy has this effect on people, trust me we've seen it in action." She said

"Even Ace is happy here..." He told her and she sighed.

"Yes I've realized that as well but we're not what he's looking for." She told him and he tilted his head confused.

"We may have the feeling he's looking for here but we're not it. Ace has his own family now-and not in that way brat. Ace found the people he belongs with, a crew that accepted him for him." She said and Sabo smiled but felt shocked at the same time.

"You mean Ace isn't the captain?" He asked her and she shook her head.

"From what I remember Ace became the Second commander." She said thinking back to what she had learned about Ace.

"He found people to accept him?" Sabo whispered looking down and Nami lifted his chin up to have him look into her eyes.

"He found his family and I hope that in your travels you meet up with him and see it for yourself." She said to him and he gave her a grateful smile.

"So are you going to help me finish this map or not?" She said and Sabo nodded happy to help this woman out even just a little.

Ace was following Usopp as he put his fish stuff away fully.

"So what do you do on the crew?" Ace asked him as casually as he could which for Ace was not very causal.

"I'm the greatest sniper you'll ever meet! They call me all around the Grand Line and New World the great and powerful Sniper King!" Usopp declared and Ace sweat dropped at him.

"So where's your pistol then?" He asked and Usopp shook his head at Ace.

"I don't use a pistol! I use these beauties." He waved his arms over a bunch of flowers smiling at them.

"You kill people with flowers?" Ace asked sceptically.

"No, I use the seeds they give." He said leaning down and gently touching one of them.

"See this guy here his seeds will create bamboo shoots from the ground instantly." He said and Ace nodded remembering that happening.

"And this guy will give a plant that smells awful! And him over there will create plants that eat its surroundings!" Usopp loved working with his weapons and the idea of growing them himself made him feel proud.

"So you really like your plants." Ace said to him kneeling down to get a better look at them and Usopp laughed.

"I spent two years on an island that tried to eat me; I'll never take plants for granted ever again." Usopp smiled thinking of his time there and how it had made him stronger.

"Did Luffy go with you to that island?" Ace asked and Usopp shook his head.

"You probably already know we weren't there for Luffy... We got separated sent to different islands and couldn't make it to Luffy when he needed us the most." Usopp said to Ace his eyes darkening with sadness.

"I'm strong now because I don't want that to ever happen again. I will not be the one always being protected; I'll do the protecting now!" Usopp said to Ace and Ace felt the bond he had with Luffy and how strong it was.

"How'd you join the crew?" Ace asked him and Usopp laughed putting his finger under his nose.

"I sure was something else back then let me tell you that. Luffy came to my village and helped me save a good friend of mine." He said and Ace nodded knowing that Luffy value friendship.

"So that's why you follow him so strongly, because he saved a good friend and then probably more right?" Ace asked him but Usopp shook his head.

"Something happened with Luffy and I. We were both so prideful and I made a mistake in the heat of the moment." Usopp said sitting down now beside Ace.

"I don't follow Luffy because he saved Kaya or my village or even me. I follow him because when I challenged him as a captain and left this crew he reached his hand out to me and took me back. Even after I had made a big mess out of everything he still forgave me and for that I'll follow him to the ends of this earth." Usopp told Ace looking into his eyes to make sure the boy know that Luffy was not just his captain but his friend and brother and had earned his respect.

Ace stared at him in shock not knowing what to say or even do, to think that Luffy had found such wonderful people to follow him made him wish he had that.

"You'll have amazing friends as well." Usopp said putting his hand on Ace's head and ruffling his hair affectionately.

"When?" Ace asked looking down.

"When you're ready." Usopp stood up and stretched just as Sanji called for food.

"Well you coming or what?" Usopp reached his hand out to Ace to grab.

"Until you do find them why not call us your home until then?" Usopp smiled and Ace returned it.

"My friends are probably better and stronger than you guys." He challenged and Usopp scoffed.

"No one is better than the great captain Usopp-Sama!" Usopp said taking a pose and Ace rolled his eyes.

"I thought you were the sniper king?" He asked him and Usopp nodded.

"That I am the greatest in this world and beyond! Over Lunch why don't I tell you the dazzling tale of when I, the great Captain Usopp saved Luffy from a giant..." Ace had stopped paying attention as they walked towards the kitchen and Sabo had emerged from the upper deck with Nami right beside him.

"Hey where were you guys?" Luffy seemed to have woken up from his nap and was walking towards them.

"I was hanging out with Usopp, he's interesting." Ace said and Usopp gave him a look.

"And what's that supposed to mean brat?" But Usopp was smiling at Ace taking a step forward away from him.

"As I once said the brother of a monster is a bigger monster." Usopp then walked off into the kitchen to take his place before Luffy grabbed all the food.

"I was with Nami working on a map of this island; I've never drawn a map before so this was so cool!" Luffy laughed only Sabo would be that excited about maps.

"You have good brothers Luffy." She said and followed behind Usopp as the others made their way with them.

"Are you coming strawhatter?" Law asked while leading Caesar into the kitchen.

"Is everything alright Luffy-dono?" Kin'emon asked Luffy who nodded his head.

"Yeah it just feels good to have all the people I love on one ship, that's all." He said giving one of his giant smiles and Law looked away.

"Don't get too use to it Luffy-ya." He said and Luffy nodded not missing how Law used his name finally.

"Doesn't mean I can't like it." He said and continued into the galley behind them.

Hello! Oh man I've been gone forever! I'm alive everyone :) I'm not 100% better but I'm no longer being watched by my family right now ^^; So I wrote this chapter yesterday and was so pleased with how it was coming along then I went to bed and all hell broke loose. I got up to finish the little details off and could only sit there and watch as my laptop shut down on me taking everything with it. My chapters that I had spent so much time writing were either gone or now corrupt. I was so angry that I had to walk away for a while. So now I'm attempting to get back the strength to rewrite which is painful because you miss what is gone. Yes that means what I wrote for the other story vanished as well-Except for one new chapter I shall be posting tomorrow!

Today was just not a good day for me at all so I am so grateful for my mother, I was only able to get this chapter finished because I was able to vent to her all of my frustrations as I wrote it. I graduate in 2 weeks' time and she will be taking her first trip up to visit me to see my grad! I'm going to be moving in a couple of months as well so things are getting a bit crazy on my end. I promise to keep writing as much as possible but be gentle on me right now until things have calmed down :) Thank you all who read my chapters I know this one didn't have much with Luffy in it but I wanted Ace and Sabo to get to know Luffy's crew, and I call them a family because that's how I see them :) Or maybe I have been working on my other story for too long :P I'm out of here keep well guys! DR